CRANFORD, NJ — Cranford Porchfest recently celebrated its ninth annual Porchfest – in the rain!
Each year, private homes in town offer their porches and lawns for musical acts to perform various types of music throughout the day. People came from all over to hear 51 bands, hosted by 10 homes. They watched and danced in the pouring rain under tents and umbrellas.
Higher Ground was one of the bands performing at 18 Woods Hole Road. It played rock, blues, Americana and Gospel. Beth Charschan, of Scotch Plains, said, “They’re a great band. They’ve come so far. Very relaxing music. Voices are great. My husband is in the band on lead guitar.”
Continuing, Charschan said she would see other bands if it wasn’t so rainy. She said, “This is a great thing they do. People who loan their houses (to let bands perform on their porches) are so nice.”
Matthew Weisser, of Rahway, is the drummer for Shuttle Program. It played at the same location later in the day. The band has been together for a couple years and performs both original and cover songs.
Jeff Schumacher, of Cranford, is the singer and guitarist of Shuttle Program. He started the band when he had a lot of time during lockdown. He was in other bands and wanted to try having his own band. He said he’s inspired by Green Day, David Bowie and Ghandi.
Maria Elena Schwartz, of Bergen County, came with her friend, Jody Guariglia, of Asbury Park.
Schwartz said, “I love that it (Porchfest) brings this town together. My son’s girlfriend is one of the singers. Last time, it was so wonderful. What a great idea!”
Guariglia said, “Asbury Park also has a Porchfest. You get to see musicians and they’re really happy to play for their communities.”
Over at Hollywood Avenue, the Torres family was enjoying a band with a female singer performing a cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” It was their first time at Porchfest. They were just passing by and decided to stop. “I wish the weather was better,” said David Torres.
Porchfest began in 2017, open to all and for all ages to enjoy. The event was inspired by a neighborhood music festival in Ithaca, New York. Porchfest happens every second Saturday of October. Organizers, performers, porch hosts and others who participate are all volunteers who give freely of their time, talents, resources and hospitality as a neighborhood.
Performances went on throughout the day from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Each year, Porchfest has been sponsored by Cranford Community Connection and gets bigger as the outreach grows. Bands come back year after year, bringing their fans with them.
Other talent performing throughout the day included: Paper Lanterns, performing rock; singer/songwriter Tam Garcia; classic rock band Outside the Box; JP Ensemble; a 1960s tribute, Breaktime; rock band Positive Salt; Clark School of Rock; The Emulators, playing ’80s rock, pop and new wave; and Vincent Lenza performing an acoustic set.
To learn more about Porchfest, visit: https://cranfordporchfest.wixsite.com/porchfest.
Photos by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta
